Had a concerned neighbour not picked him up from a banana plantation, where he had been dumped after being born prematurely, Wycliffe Kinyamal Kisasy - a two-time Commonwealth Games 800 metres champion - would probably never have survived to experience fame on the tracks as a celebrated international athlete.
That was 26 years ago. Midwives attending to his mother had ruled out his chance of survival as he had come way too early.
A decision to hastily dump him at a banana plantation was made on the fateful night after his ‘unceremonious’ arrival, awaiting burial the next day.
Wyclife Kinyamal of Kenya reacts after winning in the Men's 800m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Herculis" athletics meeting at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco, on July 21, 2023.
Photo credit: Clement Mahoudeau | AFP
On this particular day, we are in Poroko village at the border of Kisii and Narok counties for an interview date with Kinyamal.
We had arrived the previous day at around 6:30pm, just in time to catch Kinyamal driving his goats and cows to their shade.
The 26-year-old became the first Kenyan to defend a Commonwealth Games title when he clocked one minute 47.52 seconds to win the men's 800m final ahead of Peter Bol from Australia.
That was at the Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham, United Kingdom last August.
He dedicated his win to his four-year-old son, Gift Odupoi, who loves sports.
England's Ben Pattison (right) crosses the finish line in first place followed by Kenya's Wyclife Kinyamal (centre) and Ghana's Alex Amankwa (left) during the third heat of the men's 800m Round 1 athletics event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham on day six of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, central England, on August 3, 2022.
Photo credit: Andy Buchanan | AFP
His name “Kinyamal” means many problems in the Maasai community. And true to his name, it was a sad start when he was born.
The midwives, seeing how tiny he was, wrapped him in a blanket and kept him in a banana plantation outside the house, awaiting burial rituals the next day.
It was their neighbour, James Sirayo, who would later turn this tale around.
He had heard about the incident and rushed to the home. He had asked to see the baby, went and touched him, and seeing he was still breathing, asked his wife, Hellen, to look for blankets.
The couple would then rush the newborn to Kilgoris Mission Hospital some 12km away, on foot.
Wycliffe Kinyamal after qualifying for the men’s 800m final at the Alexander Stadium on August 3, 2022.
Photo credit: Ayumba Ayodi | Nation Media Group
“It is a miracle that he has become a world beater today because he was almost thrown away when he was born prematurely,” his father tells us.
Born in Shololo village in Kilgoris, Narok County, Kinyamal had formal education at Poroko Primary School and Kipupu Primary School before joining Mogonga High School.
Kinyamal now trains in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County, over 600 kilometres from his village.
When we visited, he was on an inter-season break, and we were on a mission to find-out what he had been up to.
He welcomed us in a "true Maasai way.’ A goat was slaughtered, and while most of the meat was taken to the kitchen for cooking, some parts such as the ribs and head were reserved.
Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir of Team Kenya, Peter Bol of Team Australia and Wyclife Kinyamal Kisasy of Team Kenya compete in the men's 800m Semi-Final on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
Photo credit: Carmen Mandato | AFP
“Rotich, welcome to Maasai land. Before anything else, we have to eat the roasted meat because this is our tradition whenever there is a visitor,” he says as he heads to the roasting area, which according to the Maasai culture, is a man-only affair.
His father, Michael Ole Kisasy, a retired police officer, offers to share the tale of how his son was born prematurely.
“I was away working and I was told about the incident through a police signal because those days we didn’t have mobile phones, and I went to the hospital to see him,” he recalls.
“He was so tiny and I even ran away the first time wondering what was wrong, but the doctors and nurses at the hospital did their part and today we have a Commonwealth Games champion in the 800m race,” narrated the father.
Mr Sirayo, who rescued him, recalls hearing his neighbours wailing and rushed to the home within minutes.
The couple had been briefed by the midwives about what had happened and requested to see the newborn who was already dumped at the banana plantation awaiting burial the next day.
“But when I held him and listened to the heartbeat, he was still breathing. I asked my wife to look for warm blankets and we rushed the baby to the hospital where we were welcomed by nurses who put him in the incubator. That is how we managed to save the boy.”
“We didn’t know that he would one day become a champion and we are glad because he recently held a small ceremony and even rewarded my wife with a cow as a way of appreciation. On my part, he asked me to be a little bit patient as my portion is coming,” said Mr Sirayo.
Kenya's Wyclife Kinyamal Kisasy (left) competes in the men's 800m heats during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 20, 2022.
Photo credit: Jewel Samad | AFP
Kinyamal started with high jump in school, where he'd proceed to national level.
Breakthrough came in 2016 when he convinced himself to try the track and did the 800m race. This was after he found that the high jump list was already full, and settled for the two-lap race.
“I decided to try the 800m race and to my surprise, I won in the heats and also in the final race and got a ticket to represent Kenya in the East Africa School Games in Tanzania. Here, I also bagged gold and that was the turnaround of my career,” revealed the athlete, whose favourite food is Ugali served with meat and milk.
Wycliffe Kinyamal (centre) sprints to the finish line during the men's 800m final at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on June 25, 2022 in the Kenyan trials for the World Athletics Championships-cum-Commonwealth Games.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
He kept training hard and while on it, the Global Sports Communications came calling. He was lucky to sign a contract. This saw him start training at their Kaptagat base in preparation for various assignments across the globe.
In 2018, he decided to battle it out with "the big boys" and finished in second place in the trials, securing a chance to represent Kenya at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia, where he managed to bag a Gold medal in the 800m race.
Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal wins the athletics men's 800m final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast on April 12, 2018.
Photo credit: Saeed Khan | AFP
In 2022, he again retained his Commonwealth Games gold, despite a dismal performance at the World Championships in Oregon, USA, where he finished eighth. Kenya's Emmanuel Korir won the gold in the race.
“I didn’t know I would defend my title at the Commonwealth Games but I am glad because I had the energy to finish and win. The two-lap race needs good calculations and that has helped me,” added Kinyamal.
He has also impressed during the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Gold Tour event in Nairobi where he was second behind Emmanuel Wanyonyi this year.
Their rivalry was renewed once again at the Rabat Diamond League, where Wanyonyi managed to beat him again to second place.
Despite missing a slot to represent Kenya in his specialty, Kinyamal competeed in the 4x400m mixed relay at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where Kenya did not proceed to the final.
He has had good seasons and believes with good training and preparations, he will be able to do even better as he focuses on representing Kenya at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
